Skip to main content

Very inspiring

The first couple of days have been great here at the Father McKenna Center. I had the opportunity to talk to several men so far and many of them have been so inspirational. I recently talked to Chris who was very positive and motivating. He told me to always follow and trust God because he has a plan for each of us. He also said to work hard and always keep your head up even when it's gets hard. Also, he said to always be kind to those around you because you don't know what they are going though.  Even though he has struggled through so much, he still comes in each day with  a happy and positive attitude and a smile on his face. I loved the talk I had with him and all the insight he gave me. Overall, I had a great experience so far and I am excited to see what the next couple of days bring!

-Kim Demjanenko

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Safe Arrival Back in Erie

We have arrived back in Erie! After a week full of encountering new people and reflecting on our experiences at the Father McKenna Center, we have all returned safely to our home base. Thank you for following along with this blog of our trip. The implementation of our knowledge into our daily lives will not be an easy task, but we are well prepared to take it on. We all have learned so much through our experiences this week and are excited to share and show others what respect for human dignity truly means. Homelessness is an extremely complex problem in our country, and we have all struggled to grasp what the best response on our part should be. At the end of this trip, I have come to affirm that complex problems do not have easy solutions, and that solving huge problems like hunger and homelessness involve more than one person or one ABST group. However, the power of one is still strong and present everywhere- we experienced that through meeting amazing and inspiring individuals th

We arrived safely!

Arrival in D.C. Today, we left Gannon at 12:00pm to head for D.C! After a long ride, we arrived safely at Holy Redeemer around 7:30pm and got settled in. Tomorrow we will be working at the Father Mckenna Center serving food to the homeless shelter. -Ellen

Tearing Down Walls!

Today, we continued our mission in deepening our understanding of ourselves, each other, and the problems that poverty and inequality bring. Our day began as usual; sleepy-eyed and ready to help the Father McKenna center in any way possible. Our duties included cooking the meal and serving it, cleaning the center, organizing the pantries, and generally trying to make ourselves useful and helpful. While very important, these tasks were not the catalyst in the change that we experienced today; through talking to the many guests at the McKenna center, to those who live on the street, and to those who were willing to share their life with us, we have begun to break down the divide between “us and them.” And we have realized that we are not so different after all. While the magnitude of our problems might be different, it is what we share that makes us one family of brothers and sisters. From the infections laughter, to the stories of our homes, to our losses of our loved ones, or to the si